TASC Chinese flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Third-tone sandhi

In Mandarin, a third tone followed by another third tone is pronounced as a second tone; the final third tone stays low. Example: 你好 nǐ hǎo sounds like ní hǎo.

不 tone change

不 bù is normally fourth tone but changes to second tone bú before a fourth-tone syllable, as in 不是 bú shì. It stays fourth tone before other tones.

一 tone change

一 yī is first tone alone or at the end. Before a fourth tone it becomes yí; before first, second, or third tone it becomes yì, as in 一天 yì tiān.

Question particle 吗

吗 ma at the end of a statement forms a yes/no question without changing word order. Answer with the verb or 对/不对, not with 吗.

Measure word 个

个 gè is the general measure word for many nouns, especially people and objects without a specific classifier. Use it between a number or 这/那 and the noun.

Sequencing marker 先...然后

先 xiān ... 然后 ránhòu ... 最后 zuìhòu marks first, then, finally in a sequence. Listening answers often ask what happens next or last.

Difference 差 vs 过

When telling time, 差 chà means 'to' or 'before the hour' (差五分八点 = 7:55); 过 guò means 'past' the hour (八点过五分 = 8:05).

Indirect refusal 再说吧

再说吧 zài shuō ba often signals postponement or polite refusal rather than agreement. In dialogue questions, treat it as hesitation, not a firm yes.

Phonetic component

A phonetic component in a Chinese character hints at pronunciation, not meaning. For example, 妈 mā contains 马 mǎ, which suggests the sound; the 女 radical signals female.

Semantic radical

A semantic radical gives a category clue to a character's meaning, such as 氵 water, 扌 hand, or 讠 speech. It may not indicate exact meaning or sound.

Pinyin tone mark rule

Place the tone mark on a, o, or e first. If none is present, mark the second vowel in iu or ui; otherwise mark the single vowel. In ü after j, q, x, write u.

了 completed action

了 le after a verb marks a completed action or a change of state. It is not a past tense marker; time can be present or future depending on context.

过 experience marker

过 guo after a verb marks that an action has been experienced at least once. It often answers questions like 你去过中国吗? and contrasts with completed-action 了.

把 construction

把 bǎ places a definite object before the verb to show what is affected: Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + result. The verb needs a complement or particle; bare verbs are unusual.

是...的 focus

是...的 shì...de wraps information already known to have happened to focus on time, place, manner, or agent. Example: 我是昨天来的 focuses on 'yesterday'.

因为...所以

因为...所以 yīnwèi...suǒyǐ means 'because ... therefore'. Chinese often uses both parts together, unlike English, where 'because' and 'so' are usually not paired.

Neutral tone

A neutral tone is short and weak, without a full tone contour. It often appears on second syllables, particles like 吗 and 呢, and some suffixes such as 子 in 桌子.

zh vs z

zh, ch, sh are retroflex initials made with the tongue tip curled near the hard palate; z, c, s are flat alveolar initials. Mixing them changes meaning, as in 知 zhī vs 资 zī.

n vs l

n is a nasal initial made with air through the nose; l is an oral lateral made with air around the tongue. Contrast 南 nán 'south' with 蓝 lán 'blue'.

Final -n vs -ng

-n ends with the tongue tip at the upper gum, while -ng ends with the back of the tongue raised. Contrast 安 ān 'safe' with 昂 áng 'high'.

Sentence-final 吧

吧 ba softens a statement into a suggestion, request, or assumption, as in 走吧 'let's go' or 是吧 'right?'. It is not a neutral yes/no question particle like 吗.

Repair phrase

对不起，我没听清 duìbuqǐ, wǒ méi tīng qīng means 'Sorry, I didn't hear clearly.' Use it to ask for repetition without abandoning the task.

Picture description order

For a picture task, state location first, then the main person or object, then the action, and finally a likely reason or result. This order keeps the response coherent.

Pause placement

Pause at phrase boundaries, such as after a subject or time phrase, not in the middle of a word or between a number and its measure word. This preserves intelligibility.

Stroke order top-to-bottom

Write a character from top to bottom and left to right. Horizontal strokes generally precede vertical strokes, and the enclosing radical is written before the inner part.

Stroke order enclosure

For enclosed characters, write the outer frame first, then the inner component, and close the frame with the bottom horizontal stroke last, as in 国.

的 vs 地 vs 得

的 de links a modifier to a noun; 地 de links an adverb to a verb; 得 de follows a verb to introduce a complement, as in 跑得快 'run fast'.

Chinese full stop

The Chinese full stop is 。, a small circle, not a period. Use ， for comma, ？ for question, ！ for exclamation, and 、 between items in a list.

Topic sentence

A topic sentence states the paragraph's main point early. Supporting sentences give reasons, examples, or details, and the final sentence may restate or conclude the point.

您 vs 你

您 nín is the polite singular 'you', used with elders, customers, or formal contexts. 你 nǐ is the ordinary singular 'you' for peers, friends, and informal writing.

Sequence connectors

首先 shǒuxiān, 其次 qícì, 最后 zuìhòu mean 'first, next, finally'. They organize explanations and arguments in writing and signal the order of points to readers.

Sentence completeness

A complete Chinese clause normally has a subject and predicate; subjects can be omitted when context makes them clear, but a verb alone may leave the sentence incomplete in formal writing.